Suction and irrigation handles for medical instruments are known in the art in various embodiments. Irrigating fluid issuing from an external irrigation fluid source and fed to the distal end of the medical instrument by the handle serves during the surgical procedure, among other uses, to irrigate the surgical site as well as to cleanse an endoscope lens in order to ensure that the operator has a constantly undisturbed view of the surgical area. Irrigating fluid and also blood are suctioned out of the surgical area via a suction channel, such that the suction channel is connected by the handle to an external suction apparatus.
Hose lines serving to connect the handle with the external irrigating fluid source and external suction apparatus are secured proximally on the handle side to a connection adapter mounted in the handle housing. The connection adapter is inserted fluid-tight into a support recess of the handle housing by a connection support mounted on the distal end of the connection adapter.
Because the connection adapter can be cleansed only poorly or not at all completely, the connection adapter as a rule is configured as a replaceable disposable part in order to be able to insert and withdraw it again easily. In handles known in the art, fluid-tight seal in the area of the connection support of the connection adapter is provided by a sealing element that is preferably configured as an O-ring and is mounted in a ring groove of the connection support.
The problem in using the O-ring seal is that, upon insertion of the connection support into the support recess of the handle housing, the O-ring generates gliding friction, which makes insertion difficult or even impossible because of the very small structural size of the medical instrument.